What Hurts: Eric's Return
by Peace Ocean
Summary: Eric the bully is back with a bone to pick with Chris and Martin. Kate is unwillinging pulled in and Zach is revealed to have a lot to do with this ploy. What's going on? Based on Snowflake1814's what Hurts story, and a collab with WildKrattsSuperFan1. LET'S GECKOing! XD Rated T for violence.
1. Chapter 1

**Prin: Hey, everyone! We'll be posting this story from now on due to some unexpected changes.**

**Iris: Anyway, WKSF1, thanks for writing with us! It's a real blast! XD Hope you don't mind that we edited and stuff on what we wrote together.**

**Prin: Anyway, R,R&R!**

**Iris: My line...and you have an extra R.**

**Prin: Nope. Read, Reflect, REVIEW! XD**

Aviva walked around the Tortuga for the third time in a row.

_Where is she?_

She spotted Chris coming out of his room and waved to him, "Hey Chris!"  
"Yeah Aviva!" he smiled at her.  
"Have you seen Kate?" she hurried over to him, biting her lip.  
"No, why?" the smile didn't falter.  
"I can't find her anywhere."  
"Is she with Martin?"  
"No, I just called in, Martin's by himself watching the lion pride."  
"Well, tell you what, you look around here one more time, I'll go outside and see if she's there," he patted her shoulder reassuringly

"Okay," she nodded, and walked off to continue another round of searching

Chris walked out of the Tortuga, not really worried for Kate. She knew how to take care of her self and to stick close to the Tortuga.  
"Kate! Katherine! Where are you?"  
After a moment, he heard her voice, which sounded weak.

"Over...here."

Chris stopped walking as he spun on his heel to the left.

"Where?" Chris said, frowning in slight confusion.

"Behind...the Tortuga," came the answer, and he followed it.

"Kate, your Mom, Aviva has been-KATHERINE!"

Chris ran to Kate, who was turned away from him. He picked her up, and cradled her in his arms, his eyes widening in shock.  
She was bruised and beaten, her nose a bloody mess, and her eye had turned black.

"Kate, who did this?"

"I...I don't know," Kate replied, trying not to cry.

"What do you mean, you don't know?"

"I-I don't know who he was...He looked a little older than you, he had, I think, reddish-brown hair and brown eyes, and he just came up to me when I was playing...and...he..."

Kate's capability to handle pain and abuse had been spread and tested during her time with her abusive biological father, and now she had been reminded of her fragility and vulnerability yet again, only by a complete stranger this time. She couldn't hold it in any longer, and she tightened her grip on Chris' shirt and sobbed from her fear and trauma.

Chris's stomach dropped, meanwhile, since the man reminded him of someone he had known a long time ago.  
But he needed to calm Kate down, she had been through a lot.  
"Calm down Kate, it's going to be alright, okay?" Chris tightened his grasp on her, and he felt her nod against his chest as he stood up with her in his arms

He coddled her in his arms, gently wrapping an arm around her legs, and holding her close to him. She weakly rested her head on his shoulder, her brown hair slowly cascading over and covering his green-covered shoulder as he climbed up the ramp. She whimpered slightly against his neck, her hands grasping his shirt, drawing comfort from the brown haired man that had saved her life once already.

The first thing that had gone through Chris' mind when he had seen her was that Zach had come back, but Kate's description of the man was extremely different than the black haired, animal hating robotics inventor. It reminded him of someone that had caused him a lot of pain when he was younger.

As soon as he entered the Tortuga, Aviva flooded him with questions.

"What happened?!"

"Some guy came and attacked Kate."

Kate turned slightly, reaching out for Aviva, who had become her mother since she was rescued. The woman immediately took her from Chris, sitting the girl on one of the chairs.

"Koki! Could you get me the first aid kit?" Aviva gently touched her little girl's face, writhing inside. Who could have done this?! Kate's pale face was covered in reddish bruises that would soon be turning black and blue, and blood slowly trickled from her nose. A scrape on her forehead was bleeding, but Aviva wasn't as worried about that, since cuts on the forehead always bled profusely. It was the rest of Kate that she was worried about.

"Kate? Does your stomach hurt in any way?"

"Well...A little. He punched me first in the stomach, and then I fell down, cause it hurt a lot. But that wasn't the worst of it," Kate started feeling better and started talking more normally.

"What did he do to you, Kate?" Chris asked as he knelt to her level, worry written across his face

"Well, after he punched me he kicked my legs as hard as he could, he twisted my arm as hard as he could and hit my nose. He wrapped his hands around my neck and pressed down hard. And when I thought I'd faint, he let go and pushed me to the ground."

Chris nearly choked; he knew exactly who it was now.  
He remembered when he was seven, a bully did the exact same to him, in the _same order._

Martin had come to his rescue, and Chris never forgot the bully's name.

_Eric._

Outside, the sound of Martin returning began to fill the Tortuga.

"Wow, Bro! You really should have seen-," Martin's voice cut off when he saw Kate sitting on the chair, her pink jacket contrasting against the orange of the floating chair, bruised and bloody, "Kate? Kate! What-What happened?"  
He rushed over, kneeling next to the chair and gently cupping the little girl's face in his hand, almost afraid of hurting her, but wanting the see the extent of her wounds.

"Eric," Chris' quiet voice somehow seemed to fill the air around them charging it with even more tension and worry.

"E-Eric?" Martin turned to his brother in slight shock, seeing the younger man's confusion and lingering anger and shame from the past encounters with the bully.

"He..he did the exact same thing he did to me back then, to Kate now," anger began to fill his face, furrowing his brow. How could the coward do such a thing? Why pick on a little girl, when she was so much smaller than him? Weaker and unprotected? His fists clenched in anger and fury. _No one _messed with Kate; that was one thing that had fixated in his mind, ever since they saved her from Zach.

Kate sniffed.

"Who's Eric?"

"Eric, is a bully that hurt Chris when he was seven years old," Martin winced slightly, remembering what his brother had to go through.

"I remember when he did the same thing to me that he did to you, Kate. Good for me, Martin found out, and Eric eventually got what was coming to him," Chris told her quietly.

"Uh, Chris, can I talk to you in private for a minute?" Martin asked.

"Sure."

Chris and Martin went to their room. As Chris shut the door, Aviva's voice floated through, asking Kate a few more questions before the door closed.

"What is it Martin?"

"Well, I never told you this, but Eric...swore his revenge on me, and you, for getting him into trouble."

"What? Why didn't you tell me?!"

"You were still hurt, and I didn't want to worry you, but I think this is...him taking revenge."

"What happened Martin? Tell me everything that happened."

Chris sat in his green hammock, frowning slightly, while Martin sat in his blue one across the room, and he started telling the story.

"Well, I do remember that you were still at home recovering from the night before, and I was outside the principles office. Mom, Eric's mom, and Eric were inside. Then Eric came out."

_"You did this!" he shrieked, lunging towards me with an unbridled anger in his eyes. I was afraid that he'd beat me up, but the teacher, his mom, and our mom, stopped him. Mom told me to wait in the car. So, I was leaning against the car, when Eric came out. He came towards me, and I had the urge to run. He growled, his face red from his anger and sweat, from the stress from having being found out and turned in, coating his forehead.  
_

_"I swear, __**Kratt**__, I'll get your brother one day, and I will make you regret this!"  
_  
"And with that, Eric went to his car, and I never saw him again."

"Until now."

Martin could tell Chris was still upset over Kate. Almost unsurprisingly, he assumed the role of father for Kate, acting quite a bit like Aviva in his doting over her.

Chris' eyes saddened, although they were tinted with anger.

"We have to keep him from doing something worse."

The blond older brother rested a hand on Chris' shoulder, "Bro, it's gonna be alright. I'll get Koki to update the defense and security system."

"Good idea."

The two of them walked back out, finding Aviva gently cleaning the blood off of Kate's face with a cotton pad dipped in alcohol.

"Ah...ow...Mom-ow..." Kate whined a little as the alcohol stung her cuts, the smell traveling up her nose and making her want to sneeze. Chris stood next to her, resting his hand on her brown head.

"Feeling any better?"

"A litt-ow..little better, yeah."

"Don't worry, Kate, we're gonna make sure this never happens again, okay?"

A couple days later, Kate played outside the Tortuga, still sore from the beating, but not letting it stop her from enjoying the day. She sang to herself as she ran around, following a mental path in her head, her olive green eyes shining as her brown hair swung in the air, the orange sunlight shining through it, lighting it up a coppery color. She continued on her mental path, a song playing in her head as she ran under the Tortuga.

"Morning has, da da daaa, like the first morning, Blackbird has spoken, like the first bird," she hummed the rest, not knowing the lyrics. Suddenly, as she neared one of the legs, she felt a chill run down her spine, the playful lighting suddenly feeling sinister and harsh, burning into her skin. A shadow fell over her, shielding her from the sun, and she turned, thinking it was Chris, only to find a much more sinister man.

Eric.

She gasped, and with a frightened cry, turned to run.

"Get back here!"

She could hear him running after her, and she ran into another leg of the Tortuga, and fell back, wincing at the pain from crashing into it.

Eric came up behind her, grinning evilly, and she felt herself cornered, and yet stared up at him bravely, trying not to show her fear.

Chris placed his Creature Power suit on it's rack, a sudden chill coming over him. Frowning, he turned, remembering finding Kate outside the other day...

"Hey, guys? I'm gonna go check on Kate, okay?"

Martin looked up at him, playfully pointing a finger at him, "'Kay, but if you're not back in twenty minutes, I'm coming out to get you."

Chris walked outside, chuckling at his brother's joke, until the sound of heavy breathing registered in his mind and he looked under the Tortuga to find Kate in a ball, like she was hiding.

"Kate, what are you doing? You know it's not safe under the Tortuga."

Kate was about to answer, but she saw another set of feet, which belonged to Eric, creeping up behind Chris.

"Chris! Look out!" Kate yelled pointed behind him.

Chris turn around, and his face met a hard hit from his long lost bully. With a slight grunt, he rubbed his jaw, and saw a man, about a year older than he was, with reddish brown hair that looked a lot like his, but he had bangs, and brown eyes that were about the same shade as his.

"Well, well. Hi Eric, I see you haven't changed much."

Chris had though. In fact, he was nearly the same height as Eric, only about an inch shorter. Eric just smirked.

"Didn't think you were going to see me any time soon, am I right?

Chris ignored the question, facing off with him,"Why are you hitting an innocent little girl? She has nothing to do with you!"

"Oh, she has a lot to do with me, _Kratt._"

As Chris and Eric argued, Kate inched her way to the other side of the Tortuga, only to find a mechanical hand grab her and cover her mouth before she could scream for help.

Martin, hearing the sound of shouting, walked out. His eyes widened when he saw Eric.

"Hey! Welcome to the Tortuga!" He called out cheerily as Chris gave him a weird look. He confidently walked down the ramp, "Long time no see."

He playfully clapped Eric's back, before his eyes narrowed and he stood next to Chris, crossing his arms.

"And we'd like to keep it that way. So leave."

Eric seemed enraged and was about to shout something at him, but he cut himself short as an unwelcome voice came from behind them.

"_Hello,"_ called out Zach's voice from behind them, sugar sweet and dripping with smugness and gloating.

Chris and Martin turned around and their eyes widened in shock as they saw Kate being held and gagged by a Zach-bot, inside the loading dock of the jet Zach was currently standing in.  
Zach grabbed Kate's arm, digging his fingers in as she tried hard not to scream in fear.  
"Now if you'll excuse me," Zach ran a hand over Kate's head, petting her like some little animal, "I have some catching up to do with _**my**_ daughter."

He cackled as Eric ran into the jet with a mock salute, just as it closed and took off.

"See you losers later!"

Aviva ran out, nearly crashing into the brothers.

"What happened? It sounded like-" she cut herself off when she saw the black jet flying into the horizon, her mouth dropping open in horror as realization dawned on her.

"Zach took her!" Chris ran up the Tortuga ramp, with Martin not far behind.

"Koki! Could you track Zach's jet?" Martin called out as they ran in the door. The African-American nodded.

"Mmhm, on it!" her fingers flew over the keyboard, and a blinking red dot appeared on the large screen above.

Aviva walked into the Tortuga, anger etched in her face as Chris called for Jimmy to fly after Zach's jet.

There was no way Zach was getting away with this.

**Prin: So, hi again! Bye now!**

**Iris: *facepalms* Please review...And we don't own WK...*mutters* Obviously. *walks out* See ya'll later!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Prin: Hey, everyone! Yay, new chappie!**

**Iris: Once again, WKSF1, thanks for writing with us! *turns to sister* Haven't heard that term in a while...**

**Prin: What, really? But I say it all the time!**

**Iris: *sighs* Anywho, R,R&R, as Prin said.**

**Prin: In case you forgot it means Read, Reflect, REVIEW! XD**

Zach brought Kate back into his jet, his Zach-bot holding her tightly as Eric followed in with a smug look on his face. But he ignored the other man.

He looked at Kate again, anger beginning to boil inside of him. In his mind, Kate was the embodiment of every woman that he had once loved. McKenzie stood out the most. Kate had inherited almost all of her looks, the brown hair, the green eyes, even the way she smiled, her manner of speaking, the way she walked. It was as though McKenzie had never left, simply gone on down into a smaller form. But that only made Kate's differences stand out even more.

The more a person was mirror reflection of another, the more the differences stood out.

Kate wasn't McKenzie anymore than he was his father, and he resented her for that.  
She also seemed to resemble Hannah, a certain way she would quirk her eyebrows, her fierce determination and the shape of her eyelids. The way she would hold her butterfly doll reminded him of the pink stuffed rabbit that Hannah had worn out until it was more stitches and disintegrated stuffing than anything else. And the way she had run away. His gaze hardened evermore.

They had just _had_ to leave, "to find a better life" as Hannah had put it once, defending a friend who had run away. As if he couldn't give them everything they could ever need, ever _want_.

And his mother. Their love for beauty and their hate of mud. Love of the outdoors, which McKenzie had also shared...In fact, all of them had loved the outdoors. And all but Kate had died.

Kate was a reminder of every person that he had loved and had been taken away. She held precious little memories in the way she played, the things she did. Every time he saw her, it had stuck a painful dagger in the remainder of his heart, twisting and...and reminding him of painful memories of betrayal and loss.

Yet she had saved them, in a way. They seemed to still exist inside of her, and he had loved her once for that.

He had been stuck between loving her and hating her when he had found her with the Wild Kratts, and that had been the bitter cherry on top of the cake. The love he had had held for her, however small, was lost, and replaced by bitter anger and hate. He didn't care anymore. He didn't care if she died, if he killed her. In his mind, everyone had betrayed and abandoned him, and Kate was going to be the last one. He would never allow himself to love anyone again.

Aviva was beside herself in the Tortuga. She paced, her hands in her hair. She knew that, in a way, Kate had betrayed Zach by joining them.

_What would he do to her?!_

She shuddered at the thought, fighting the urge to cry in frustration and fear.

Chris turned her way, their eyes joining, and he saw a tear of fear running down her cheek. He understood how she felt. She was Kate's _**Mother, **_for crying out loud.

Who knew how hard it was on her? He wanted to comfort her, but she turned away, pulling her arms down, and wiping her face as she walked away.

Chris then turned his attention to the desk, and started looking up Villain profiles on Koki's computer database. He eventually found Eric's file, which was right next to Zach's. And what he read...made him understand a lot of things, and why Eric the bully was a bully in the first place.

Meanwhile, Kate was bound and scared in a dark corner of the jet with a handkerchief around her mouth and nose, so she couldn't speak or yell for help. She wanted to cry in fear, but she knew if she did, she'd be no worse than she was when she was four. Whenever she was in trouble, Chris or Aviva, or both would be right by her side. Then she realized, she had been clinging on to them for too long. She had to face the facts, Chris and Mom weren't coming. She started to feel sick from the stale air that kept on being trapped by the fleece around her nose and sneaking its way back into her lungs. Finally, after a few coughs on her part, Zach came to the corner and took off the handkerchief. He figured she'd suffocate, and he needed her alive.

Kate coughed and breathed anxiously to clean her lungs out. She looked at her "Dad", and the familiar fear of when she was four and cornered, came back to haunt her.

Zach smirked, his face laced with anger and triumphant smugness, spreading the crushing, oppressing fear further into Kate as she looked up at him, squirming to get away, yet knowing it was useless.

"Hello, Katherine. Long time no see, huh?"

Kate didn't say a word, she worried if she did, she'd burst out crying.

"Uh, Zach?" Eric said from behind.

Zach's face fell, and an expression of extreme annoyance and anger covered his face, _**"WHAT?!"**_

"That turtle ship is heading our way," Kate noticed a bit of anger in the other man's expression. Obviously, he didn't like being yelled at. Zach calmed down a little, smirking softly.

"Perfect. All going according to plan."

Kate finally stored up enough energy to to say, "Pl...Plan?!"

"Yes, daughter o' mine," Zach grinned, and almost genuine joy sprung into his features, "You see, I've thought of a good way for Eric to get his revenge on Chris, and for me, to get my revenge on you!"

Kate gasped.

"_ZACHBOTS!_Take Kate into the back room! We need her to be alive and ready when we crush her team."

Kate went wide eyed.

"Wh...what?!"

Zach knelt down to her and gripped her chin tightly, forcing her to look him in the eye, something she had avoided for as long as she remembered.

"And we'll start with you," he said softly.

Before Kate could say a word, something hit her in the back of the head, and she was out like a light.

Kate woke up cold and alone with her heart beating in the back of her head. She clenched her cranium, which calmed the pain down. Blackness surrounded her, and she couldn't see a thing, but the atmosphere felt familiar to her. She got up, and felt around the floor until she found a wall. Using it as a guide, she stood up and found a light switch. When she found it, and flicked it on, she went wide eyed.

"My old room!"

It looked like not even a speck of dirt had touched it all these years. Kate suddenly remembered everything that happened in here, and she clenched her head as the memories flooded back, over whelming her. She crouched into a ball with a whimper as the memories and feelings of being so tiny and helpless swarmed her. She wasn't sure how long she remained like that until a knock on her locked door came.

At the sound, Kate ran to her old "hiding corner"; the furthest corner of the room, shielded partly by her bed. Her father opened the door, but he didn't look like he was going to hurt her in any way, yet.

"Good, you're up." He said with a gleeful smile that looked wrong on his face.

Kate could feel herself trembling. It was like being four years old, all over again.

"Wh...why'd you kidnap me in the first place?" she asked unmoving, as she stared at the floor, rocking back and forth on her heels as she crouched down.

"Well, you're the bait, for now," Zach replied nonchalantly, setting something on her shelf, that looked similar to a creature pod, but a little different.  
What did Zach mean, _for now_? Was he really gonna hurt her, or even worse eventually?  
Zach broke her train of thought again.  
"Oh, and uh, your little family won't be rescuing you anytime soon," Zach said with a half smirk as he hooked up the device.

"What?! If you hurt any one of them, I'll-"

"You'll what? Punch me? Hurt me? Yeah right."

Zach had forgotten that Kate had gotten older, stronger and more defiant than she was before.

Kate didn't want to ask the question that was on the border of her mind, teetering precariously, but it spilled out of her mouth.

"Where are they anyway? Do you know?" she asked still hugging her knees in her corner, while Zach turned to look at her from other end of the room.

"Does this answer you question?"

Zach pushed the one and only button on the device, and a hologram came up of..._Martin!_  
He was badly injured, gagged with a handkerchief, and out cold.

"Martin!" she cried, standing up.

But he couldn't hear her. His face wasn't even a normal skin tone anymore. Just red and blue and black.

"_**What did you do?!**_" Kate demanded running towards the hologram in anger and panic, not realizing that was her first mistake.  
Zach swung, and grabbed her by her hair.

"Do you want that to happen to you?" He scowled, lowering his face to her level as she groped at his hand, trying to get it off as it pulled little hairs out of their follicles.  
Honestly, Kate would rather it happened to her than the ones she loved.

"No? Then I suggest you don't try anything stupid. Or Green Guy will have two bodies to dispose of. Got it?!"

Terror ran through Kate, sending a shiver down her back; she thought she'd faint, but she didn't.

What did he mean, bodies? Was Martin..._NO!_

She couldn't think that way.

She barely nodded her head okay, and Zach used his grip on her hair to throw her to the ground. He locked the door behind him as he left, leaving Kate to look at the live projection of the man who was as close to her as an uncle. She couldn't help but start to sob for her family, and him, as she couldn't take her eyes off the footage.

**Prin: Now that's just plain depressing...**

**Iris: *rolls eyes at her* Oh, brother...**

**Prin: Sister! :P Anyway, folks, see the white box? Last time we got two really nice reviews(thanks you two!) and the box was happy. Next time, let's make him GRIN!**

**Iris: *blushes furiously and hides behind the table* I don't know her...**


	3. Chapter 3

**Prin: *squeals and jumps around like a maniac* DID ANYONE SEE THE CxA MOMENTS IN THE RACE FOR THE HIPPO DISC! 8D Now, I know, I know, he wasn't doing it romantically. :P But still! 8D **

**Iris: You're such a fangirl...What about th-**

**Prin: MxA moment? THAT WAS AWESOME TOO! **

**Iris: Um...No, I was going to say "the story".**

**Prin: Oh...JIMMY! DX I WANT YOUR METABOLISM! How can you eat so much and be so very skinny?! IT's not fair, NOT FAIR, I tell you! I like to eat and I can't cause then I'll gain too much weight! **

**Iris: *Facepalm* I'm going to end this Author Note before she gets out ofhand, so read...you know the drill. **

**Prin: *sobbing in background* AND ZACH HAS A ****_MOTHER! _****NOW WHAT ABOUT LIFE IS HARD?!**

**Iris: *sighs* Once again, WKSF1, it was fun working with you! ;)**

* * *

"But-!"

"No buts, bro," the taller blonde stood behind Zach's mansion, holding his brother back with one arm, "This is what Eric wants you to do, so that he can get to you. I'm sorry, Chris, but I'm not letting that happen."

Chris backed up with a huff, motioning desperately over Martin's shoulder to the mansion as he responded.

"I need to get in there with Kate! Who knows what Zach's done to her!"

"What, you don't trust me to get the job done?"

"I-I...No, I do trust you, bu-"

"Then trust me. With no buts," Martin grinned playfully for a moment, as he placed a caring hand on his younger brother's shoulder, "Trust me bro. When have I ever let you down? Huh?"

Chris opened his mouth to answer, but Martin continued, losing his confident smile as he shushed the brown haired man, "On second thought, don't answer."

The younger man had to chuckle slightly, despite the circumstances.

"Fine, go. But call us as soon as you find Kate!"

"Will do!" Martin turned, silently opening the back door and giving a look around the dark hallway, before disappearing inside. Chris frowned sadly, turning back into the Tortuga.

Meanwhile, Martin slowly crept along the hallway, his back pressed against the cold, metal wall, keeping his eyes and ears peeled for any sound, any movement. Suddenly the sound of a Zach-bot's whirring and beeping filled the hallway, and he dove behind a dying potted plant that conveniently happened to be within jumping distance. The Zach-bots went right on by, without even noticing him.  
That was close, Martin thought with a sigh of relief.  
Then it happened.

Martin felt a sharp kick make contact with his ribs, the piercing shock spreading up into his chest cavity, causing him to wheeze as he stumbled to stand up. A solid punch found his face, causing him to fall back against the wall, the unexpectedness keeping him from being able to react as another punch hit his jaw, the pain spreading through his entire mouth.  
Being a Creature Adventurer, he was used to getting a bit roughed up, thrown around, trampled slightly; he was not stranger to pain, yet the punches that unrelentingly pounded him seemed harder and fiercer than anything he had ever experienced. He was barely able to open his eyes after they were repeatedly punched. But he fought to open them, and could just make out a man with reddish brown hair, when he realized, it was Eric.

Martin also realized he wasn't going to stop until he was out cold.

Martin tried to protect himself with his hands, grabbing on to Eric's fists. Martin was practically fighting blind, and it hurt to move his head. But he feared for his life, and for Kate's, and that pressed him on.

Unfortunately, Eric had the upper hand, and with a swiping kick, knocked Martin on his back. He dealt harsh punches to all of the fallen man's body. Yet, Martin continued to struggle. Having the advantage. Eric straddled him and continuously punched Martin on the side of his head, but still Martin fought. But soon, Martin's body couldn't take anymore, and he weakened as his adrenaline rush had ended. Martin couldn't even feel the punching anymore, and his eyes closed. Eric stood back once Martin was out cold. He then realized the rapid hitting on Martin's head had taken a toll, as the side of his head bled from the constant impact.

Eric grinned, standing over his handiwork proudly.

"Hey, robot! Take a load of this!" he called to a nearby Zach-bot, who flew over. It looked at the beaten Martin, then clapped, not knowing what else to do.

_Three hours later_

Chris had finally noticed he had been pacing back and forth for the past hour, worried sick.

_Where are Martin and Kate?! Did something happen to them?! Should I go inside? _

His better judgment said no, while his brother instinct was screaming, _"Yes!"_

Finally, he obeyed his brother instinct, and ran inside.

Kate meanwhile, had calmed down from the disturbing image of Martin, whom she loved dearly. He was like an uncle to her. That picture was almost too much to bear. The device eventually turned it off automatically. Kate was now back in her little corner, but she realized, she was having trouble breathing! The air felt so stale, she felt as though it was thick and useless to her lungs. Kate began to cough and gasp for fresh air.

What was happening?

With a shock, she realized, the device projector had a hole in the back of it that was releasing some barely visible fume.

Poison!

She rose to turn it off, but fell down again, too weak to try again. The lack of fresh air made her lungs ache, and her muscles go limp. She knew that if she didn't get out soon, she'd pass out...

"_Or worse..."_ she whispered quietly as she tried to fight and get up.

Chris ran down the hall to find his brother and friend. Suddenly, he came to a door that had pink drawings on it. His eyes widened in recognition; it was Kate's old room.

_She has to be in there,_ he thought.

He grabbed the door handle, and sure enough, the room was locked. Chris didn't want to say anything, afraid it was a trap, but the concerned words somehow left his mouth.

"Kate? Katherine, are you in there?!" he called through door.

All the response he got was Kate coughing from the other side.  
That was enough to get Chris to try and break down the door. Bracing himself on the other side of the hall, he rushed and kicked it with all his strength. The door frame splintered at the hinges and at the doorknob, and with a metallic groan the door collapsed on the floor. He rushed in to find Kate sprawled on the floor, barely conscious.

Worried, he ran to her side, unaware of the strange device in her room, or the toxic fumes.

"Kate? Kate?! Are you alright?!" He asked as he picked up her limp head. Her skin was turning blue, and her eyes were bloodshot.  
"Chris?" Kate was weak and couldn't see well either by now. But she did realize something. This was the trap! Kate was the bait, Zach and Eric would sedate both her and Chris to take their revenge on them!

Panic was fighting it's way into Chris' system, but he fought it off, concentrating on getting Kate better. In truth, he wasn't sure how to do that, as he didn't know what was wrong with her.

"Ch-Chris," Kate's voice became weaker.

"Sh, Kate, don't talk. I'll take care of you."

The young girl stubbornly shook her head, that simple motion taxing her more.

"Y-you have to..."

Chris shushed her gently again, looking over her blue skin. Asphyxiation, he decided, not hypothermia. Her body temperature was normal. She needed more oxygen. But why?

Kate was barely hanging on, but she knew Chris had to know, or they were both in big trouble.

"The...room is..." she tried to croak out, but her body required the oxygen that was being used for talking. She felt herself growing dizzier.

Chris didn't want to do it, but he felt like he was gonna have to cover her mouth with his hand to keep her from wasting his energy. But before he did, she was able to spit out.  
_"Toxic fumes!"_

Chris put his hand over her mouth and put his finger to his lips.  
Kate tried all she could, but, in the end, all she was able to do was motion with her head, (which was already very hard) to point in the direction of the device.  
Chris looked to where she was pointing, frowning slightly, and saw the hole in the device that was letting some kind of steam that was faintly visible. He realized what she was saying, and pieced the pieces of the puzzle together.  
"Oh no," he said, his eyes widening and turned to look down at Kate...and immediately took his hand off her mouth, for her body couldn't take it, and she laid pass out on the floor.  
Chris, in a panic, picked her up, and ran to the door. He fell over though as he exited the room, as his body was starting to feel the effects of the poison himself. He was able to pick himself off the floor, and drag Kate to the wall behind, out of the toxic fumes path.

Blurry colors and blotchy spots came to her. For a moment, she wasn't sure if she was even _seeing _or what, but the colors slowly came into focus, sharpening into a shaking image of Chris mouthing something at her. For a moment, she couldn't understand why he was shaking, until she realized, he was shaking her.  
Like being pulled out of the water, her senses came back to her, shocking her from her dazed state for a moment.

"Kate! Kate!"

"I'm awake..."

"Oh, thank heavens," he hugged her fiercely, one hand holding the back of her head, brushing her hair back in place, "I was afraid I had lost you there."

She could feel herself slipping again, her hearing dulling and her feeling numbing. The last thing that left her was her sight, a worried Chris' face blurring into a series of swirling colors before turning black.

"Katherine! Katherine, wake up!" Chris continued to sake her violently to wake her, with no prevail. He then realized they were in the hall, out in the open, and knew that she needed to be hidden fast. He picked her up, and put her behind a nearby bookshelf in the hall. At least she was hidden.

Chris stood back up, looking down the hallway, as worry for his brother came to the forefront of his mind. He looked back at Kate, contemplating what to do. After a few seconds of internal debate, he stepped out in the hallway, walking down towards another door.

"Martin, where are you?" he mumbled to himself, noticing a few doors a little lower down. He walked over, trying his luck at opening the first door. The door opened almost painfully slow, and he peered inside, having to bite back a gasp of surprise when he saw Eric in the room, eating a sandwich and some chips. Apparently, he hadn't noticed the intruder, and Chris slowly closed the door, moving to the next one, repeating the process. Zach-bots filled the room, in their dormant state, just waiting to be called out. He closed the door, wondering if there was someway to lock it shut, just in case, before moving on to the next door. Here, the room was bright and white, and-

"Martin!"

The person on the other side of the room hardly looked like his brother, the black and blue bruises covering his face and parts of his arms and legs. Chris gasped and ran over, quickly untying Martin, who moaned and slowly opened one eye.

"Chris?"

"The one and only," the younger mumbled as he sat Martin up, "Martin...what happened to you?"

"Eric snuck up on me," the blond gently ran a hand over his swollen face, wincing as his finger touched his broken lip, "Ow."

"Can you walk?"

"I-I think so," Martin pulled himself up, with a little help from Chris and limped slightly on his first few steps, but after a few feet he began to walk a little more normally, " Now let's find Kate."

"I found her already. We need to get you to the Tortuga," Chris' voice raised in pitch with his worry. He wasn't sure how he was going to manage this. He wanted to take Martin home, and didn't want to leave his side, but he also needed to get Kate back home as well.

"Where is she?"

"I left her hidden while I looked for you. She's just down this hallway."

"Okay, let's go get her-"

"Whoa, bro, you need to get to the Tortuga! Now."

"How about I go to the Tortuga while you get Kate and catch up?"

Chris nodded, relieved, "You sure bro?"

"Absolutely! I can still walk you know."

"Right, I'll catch up to you!" Chris ran back down the hallway while Martin turned back down the hallway he had come in through.

Chris turned the corner, spotting the bookshelf Kate was behind with extreme relief. Suddenly a sharp white light seemed to flash across his eyes, and he felt himself fall. Turning onto his back, he saw a smug Eric standing over him, just as blackness clouded his vision and pulled him under.

Kate stirred and opened her eyes slowly. Her head hurt like the dickens, but she felt like she had more energy than before.

"Katherine! Katherine?!". Kate heard her name being called. When her eyes adjusted, she didn't see green like before, instead she saw... Blue?!

"Kate! Kate?"

"Ma...Martin, is that you?".

"Yes, Kate, I'm right here."

Kate's eyes adjusted and she saw Martin looking at her with worried eyes. Kate couldn't believe it was _him._

"Martin!". She sat up and hugged Martin tightly. She then noticed something different.

"Martin, are you okay?"

"Yes, why?"

"I...I saw you. You were beaten black and blue. You don't have a single bruise on you."

"I-I never got beaten up," Martin shook his head at her with a confused chuckle.

Kaye didn't see red eyes, so she knew it was be real Martin, and not a Zach-bot. Then, with a gasp, she realized that it had all been a trick. A lie.

"Wait, if you've been looking for me all this time, then what was that, and WHERE'S CHRIS?!"

"Chris should be back at the Tortuga," Martin brushed some of the hair out of Kate's distressed face.

"He was here! He saved me from the toxic fumes and-"

"Kate, calm down! When did you last see him?"

"I told you. I was locked in my room and Zach put like a device that released some toxic fume, and Chris came in and saved me. If it weren't for him, I'd be dead right now! I must have blacked out again, and when I woke up, you were right here."

"Wait, so, Chris was in here?"

"Yes."

Martin's face turned quickly to worry, "Then where is he?"

"I guess he went to find you."

With a sigh, Martin called Aviva, but she didn't answer. He tried again and again, nothing.

"Oh no," Martin mumbled

"Why isn't Mom answering?" Kate fidgeted as she sat on the floor.

"From what you told me, I think I know. C'mon!"

Martin helped Kate to her feet, and they ran out, back to the Tortuga.

Kate peered in and gasped in shock, "Mom!"

* * *

**Prin: *still crying***

**Iris: *groans desperatly* Thanks for putting up with us, and reading this! And thanks for giving us a whole EIGHT REVIEWS! ^^ YOu guys are awesome.**

**Prin: *smiles weakly and gives a thumbs up**resumes crying* WHY?! Why did the cannon hav-**

**Iris: -.- Anyway, Review and we'll see you next update!**


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